Thinking about rules, empathy, and decisions

I read a BuzzFeed article (dated July 15, 2026) about sentences that changed people's lives and found two that I want to share here for us to think about today:

12.  "Rules are meant to maintain order, but empathy is meant to maintain humanity." — chellebelle079

24.  "When you are born, you look like your parents.  When you die, you look like your decisions." — allegra918